Letters of Frank Sargeson
Letters of Frank Sargeson

Author: Sarah Shieff

Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited

Published: 2012-02-03

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13: 186979334X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A rich and riveting record of both literary and social value. Frank Sargeson is one of New Zealand's best-loved and most important writers. Besides the ground-breaking short stories, he wrote memoirs, novels, and plays. He encouraged at least three generations of younger writers and, for most of his adult life, the famous bach behind the hedge at 14 Esmonde Road was at the heart of New Zealand's artistic and literary world. Sargeson was also a prolific letter writer, and this selection of 500 of the most fascinating ranges over half a century, from 1927 to 1981. The letters are immensely readable, vividly capturing his life and times, his milieu and his personality. Frank loved gossip, could be bitchy and peevish, but also kind, affectionate, funny, ribald, astute. This collection, selected, edited and annotated by Sarah Shieff, is a document of extraordinary significance for all those interested in New Zealand's literary and social history.

Stonedogs
Stonedogs

Author: Craig Marriner

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 9781869414764

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In between drug deals and binge-drinking, reckless driving and street fights, the delinquents of the Brotherhood wage the holiest of wars. Yes, they will derail the Juggernaut before it can suicide a or have a ball trying at least. But when one of them falls prey to Roto-Vegas gang members, the cultural terrorists mobilise in earnest. Revenge takes them on a road-trip - a coming of age from hell. It is a journey to the corners of a collective psyche peopled by nightmares as real as the headlines of today, a New Zealand the tourists and executives had better pray they never stumble upon. Alone and gut-shot, the Juggernaut closing in, the Brotherhood will rally for an audacious final stand, a last ditch fight for their minds and their lives a and perhaps for the future of us all. Craig Marriner is New Zealand's response to Irivine Welsh and Quentin Tarantino. His first novel will make you cringe and shudder, then wet yourself laughing. Its raw and scathing prose breaks new ground against the backdrop of a world-view as chilling as the nightly news.

The Mirror Book
The Mirror Book

Author: Charlotte Grimshaw

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2021-03-30

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9780143776000

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Brave, explosive, and thought-provoking, this is a powerful memoir. 'It's material, make a story out of it,' was the mantra Charlotte Grimshaw grew up with in her literary family. But when her life suddenly turned upside-down, she needed to re-examine the reality of that material. The more she delved into her memories, the more the real characters in her life seemed to object. So what was the truth of 'a whole life lived in fiction'? This is a vivid account of a New Zealand upbringing, where rebellion was encouraged, where trouble and tragedy lay ahead. It looks beyond the public face to the 'messy reality of family life - and much more'."--Back cover.

I Am Not Esther
I Am Not Esther

Author: Fleur Beale

Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited

Published: 2012-03-02

Total Pages: 140

ISBN-13: 1869799089

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A classic bestseller that's been in print for over 20 years, this gripping YA thriller follows a teenage girl caught in a religious cult. Imagine that your mother tells you she's going away. She is going to leave you with relatives you've never heard of - and they are members of a strict religious cult. Your name is changed, and you are forced to follow the severe set of social standards set by the cult. There is no television, no radio, no newspaper. No mirrors. You must wear long, modest clothes. You don't know where your mother is, and you are beginning to question your own identity. I am not Esther is a gripping psychological thriller written by New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards-winning children's writer Fleur Beale. In Esther she creates an enthralling and utterly compelling portrait of a teenager going through her worst nightmare.

Wrestling with the Angel
Wrestling with the Angel

Author: Michael King

Publisher: Catapult

Published: 2002-03-07

Total Pages: 613

ISBN-13: 158243185X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Janet Frame, born in 1924, is New Zealand's most celebrated and least public author. Her early life in small South Island towns seemed, at times, engulfed in a tide of doom: one brother still-born, another epileptic; two sisters dead of heart failure while swimming; Frame herself committed to mental hospitals for the best part of a decade. Later, her surviving sister was temporarily felled in adulthood by a stroke, an uncle cut his throat and a cousin shot his lover, his lover's parents and then himself. This, then, is an inspiring biography of a woman who climbed out of an abyss of unhappiness to take control of her life and become one of the great writers of her time. And to enable her biographer to write this book scrupulously and honestly, Janet Frame spoke for the first time about her whole life. She also made available her personal papers and directed her family and friends to be equally communicative. The result is a biography of astonishing intimacy and frankness, written by multi-award-winning author, Dr Michael King.

Never a Soul at Home
Never a Soul at Home

Author: Stuart Murray

Publisher: Victoria University Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 9780864733412

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The generation of writers that came to prominence in the 1930s laid down the framework for modern New Zealand literature. This book looks at the beginnings of those writers' careers, at the influences of events like the Depression and the onset of war, and at the role of cultural institutions. Ultimately, it is about the myths that surround the 1930s writers, and the myths they made.